Tiana's Regrets
by Megumi Mitoko
Summary: What happens when Lottie goes missing? Rated M for adult, dark themes.


_Hello everyone, Kayla here! This is my first Princess and The Frog fan fiction so bare with me! :D Please enjoy!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own "Princess and The Frog", all respective rights go to the Disney corporation. Please don't sue me.<em>

**WARNING: **_This is rated Mature for adult and dark themes... Please continue with caution.  
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**Tiana's Regrets**

__It was a romance no one ever knew could happen. No one had expected these two to even come close to one another. However, he had his eye on the sweet southern belle since he had first laid eye's on her daddy's fortune. He was poor, always down on his luck and having to con his way into his next meal, always having to trick unsuspecting rich folks into his little shop to earn the money that kept clothes on his back and a bed to come home to. So naturally, he envied the rich. He mocked them, laughed and gawked at them and how foolish they were to throw their money around so carelessly.

So when he noticed the blonde woman with her ever so rich father, the richest in the town I may add, I couldn't help but laugh at the very idea of the two ever being together. I mean, Lottie and the shadow man? That was just ridiculous! The shadow man wanted something he never had, _someone _who represented everything he would dream about at night.

Our story begins at the beginning of Lottie's costume party.

It was the night of the La Bouff costume party, one in which I truly had no interest in going to. I simply went because Lottie wanted me to, and I suppose on some level she had my interests in mind. She always nagged me for working so hard, saying that one day my hands and legs were going to fall right off from over use! But she doesn't understand how hard it is for our kind, working is the only thing we have to make a decent living for ourselves. Even now I still live with my mother in the home I had grown up in and while Lottie still lives with her father, it's two different situations. Lottie never has to raise a finger, things have always been handed to her and I must say I have been envious of her from time to time. Lottie was the typical snotty rich white girl, throwing her money around carelessly on clothes and stupid parties, however deep down inside Lottie was a good person. She cared for me, and even though sometimes her interests blind her, she does look out for others.

She was a beautiful person, a person with flaws and perfections.

And as you would expect, she wore her best gown to the party with the intent of being a princess which in many arguments she was. She had a silver tiara lined with jewels placed neatly in her blonde hair which had been pulled up into a neat bun on the top of her head. One curl fell elegantly from it, lining the side of her face. Young and beautiful, she was what you would expect royalty to look like. Myself, however, was rather plain. Dark skin, brown eyes and hair that was pulled back. I suppose I have my good traits, but they were nothing compared to the blonde. Then again this story isn't about me.

It was this night that the Shadow Man finally decided to make him move.

The party was just getting started, people were arriving and the orchestra was warming up. I stood beside Lottie as she sat at her vanity in the large pink room which was her own.

"I hope this party isn't ultimately a failure!" The blonde spoke, taking the red lipstick and laying a thick amount onto the girl's lips. "I need to find m'prince soon!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Typical Lottie, always looking for her fairytale ending. Why did she always have her head up in the clouds?

"Oh Lottie, you don't need a man t'make you happy." I tried to say encouragingly, however I could tell she wasn't listening.

"Oh, I hope a nice young prince comes to this party! I heard that Prince Naveen was coming, maybe I could woo him." She laughed at the end, admiring her reflection in the mirror before getting up from her seat. "Let's go show 'em what we got!"

So here we are, well technically, here I am. Standing by myself, watching Lottie dance with the Prince from where ever he's from. I was happy for her, seeing as she beamed at the male she danced with, who himself had a charming smile on his face. I swayed to the music as I scanned over the rest of the party. It appeared that everyone was having a good time. The women dressed in the best attire they had (for costumes, anyway) flirted with the men carelessly, Mr. La Bouff was even having a good time. He chatted with some fellow colleagues as they watched his daughter have the time of her life. He had always wanted the best for her, and believed she deserved nothing less than the best.

Nonetheless, I noticed a tall man, a mask of death on his face as he watched from tree's behind the party. He was hiding, and looked completely unhappy as he watched Lottie dance and laugh and enjoy herself with the prince. He looked familiar, I was sure of it and couldn't help but keep my eyes on him as he made his way closer. Suddenly a flash of smoke surrounded the party and I could hear the gasps of everyone around me as Lottie suddenly disappeared as a purple smoke surrounded her.

Once she was gone the smoke quickly dispersed and my eyes widened, noticing that the male by the tree had gone missing as well. I put two and two together, realizing that it was the work of the Shadow Man!

The ending to that party can be described in one word. Disastrous. We couldn't find Lottie 'nywhere, the party came to an abrupt end. It had been weeks until someone had spotted her again, the blonde hair was unmistakeable and it was said that she was seen with the Shadow man, laughing and giggling as they strolled quickly passed the general store. I couldn't help but feel confused. What happened to the blonde woman who would rather die then marry a prince?

It wasn't until a few days afterwords that I would realize exactly what had happened that night. I was walking to work, getting ready to work a eight hour shift at the diner when I decided to take an unexpected turn. I turned into an alley as others passed me. My eye's trailed down the dank stone hallway to the end where I spotted The Shadow Man's little shop. I felt a bit uneasy as I made my way down, holding my coat close to me as I took slow steps.

I was determined to find Lottie.

With slow steady steps, I reached the shop. I stared up at the sign, unsure of what to expect on the other side of the door. My eyes went down and watched as the door opened on it's own, giving off an enticing feel. It was now or never. I held my breath and ducked inside, immediately the door slammed shut behind me. I instinctively turned and tried to turn the door knob but it had mysteriously disappeared under my fingertips. My breathing increased as I turned and slowly took in the atmosphere. It was a bit cramped, warm, and a light fog flooded the room beneath my knees. By now I could say that I was terrified. Why would Lottie be here? I held my breath again and took a few steps towards a table in the middle of the room, as I drew close the Shadow Man suddenly appeared on the other side, sitting in the chair casually with a grin on his face. I gulped, my bravery quickly starting to shrink as I stopped.

"Take a seat..." He said, the grin never leaving his face as a chair suddenly knocked me from my feet and pulled itself in tightly to the table. I landed hard on the seat and leaned away from the man as he simply chuckled. "My, my... what do we have here? Young miss Tiana I believe? Am I not mistaken?"

I shook slightly, clenching my fists ever so slightly. I nodded hesitantly, confused as to how he knew my name. He simply laughed again, leaning back in his chair, kicking his feet up onto the table and watched me amusingly.

I have to find Lottie. He knows where she is...

I swallowed up my fear the best I could and replaced my feared expression with one that was serious. I gave him a look and let out a small breath.  
>"Where's Lottie?" His face instantly became one that was worried, and surprised. "Don't tell me you don't know, I saw you that night of the party. What have you done with her?"<p>

Again the man laughed, his hand going to his face as he rolled his eyes.  
>"I haven't done a thing to Miss La Bouff." He said, and immediately I narrowed my eyes.<p>

"Don't you dare lie to me! Where is Lottie? I demand to see her!" I exclaimed, snapping at the male as I raised and pointed a finger at him. His look shifted from amusement to grave.

"Do you truly want to see her?" He asked, his hand going up and with a flick of his wrist a sudden fog surrounded us completely. I looked around, then back to him as a small smirk grew on his face. My eye's widened a bit as a sudden flash blinded me, making me shut my eyes. Suddenly it grew quiet. The stuffiness of the room was gone, the feeling of fear melted away. I hesitantly opened my eyes and look around. I was still in his shop but... something was different. A sudden scream came from behind me, I quickly turned to see Lottie fighting against the Shadow Man. Her eyes were wide with fear as he grabbed her shoulder's roughly in an attempt to keep her from struggling. Her dress was torn slightly at the bottom and her hair had fell from the bun. I tried to stop what was happening but I simply went through the two as if I was a ghost, as if they weren't even aware of me being there. My hands instantly went up to cover my mouth as suddenly Lottie let out an ear piercing scream. I squeezed my eyes closed, afraid to peer at the scene in front of me. Suddenly another shift happened, the screaming had suddenly ceased. I let out a few ragged breaths and opened my eyes slowly. I was now in a nursery, blue covered the walls and in the middle of the room was a crib. It was rather dark and suddenly a cry of a baby was heard.

I stood frozen, afraid to see what was happening. Before I could even attempt to move a woman burst into the room. An unfriendly expression on her face. She had long dark hair, narrowed brown eyes and a bottle in one of her hands. She leaned over the crib, a sadistic grin on her face.

"Poor baby... What's wrong? Are you hungry?" She asked, taking a swig at the bottle. My eye's softened a bit, my hands clenching each other as I held them to my heart. I had a horrible feeling.

"Well so am I! If your dirty father hadn't left us, hadn't left me with a child I could've been well on my way to a better life right now! This is all your fault! I hate you!" The woman exclaimed, rage filling her expression as she tossed the bottle into the crib with all her might. A crashing sound was heard and I knew that the bottle had smashed. My mouth was wide and terror, as the child's screams increased, they were no longer screams of attention, but screams for help.

The scene in front of me quickly shifted again, bringing me back to Lottie. Only this time, she lay battered and broken on the ground. Her once beautiful pink dress was now in shreds, her legs bruised and her face tear stricken. Her makeup leaked down her face as she failed to move, however tears continued to pour. I shook at the scene, what had gone on, I covered my mouth again and tears started to gather up in my own eyes. I had never seen such a beautiful creature broken, why had he done this? I let out a cry of pain and fell to my knees. My once vibrant friend was now a woman beaten and broken.  
>Lottie got up slightly, a sullen look on her face that I had never seen before. She looked around the room and quietly attempted to stand up. She quickly fell to her knees, her legs weak and unable to hold her body up.<p>

I felt my stomach churn as I heard a sudden sound of a door opening and in came the very male that I had been dreading to see entered the room. He walked past me and past Lottie as she tried to gather her strength up. He went through a door behind Lottie and disappeared without a sound.

I sniffled, wiping away my tears as I felt regret for not being able to help Lottie. I tried my best to comfort the blonde, but knew it was useless. Lottie didn't know that I was even there, this was all just a sick nightmare to me.

The blonde's hair fell freely over her shoulders as she got down onto her hands and knees and started to crawl towards the only exit, the front of the shop. With ever move Lottie made a small trail of blood followed and I felt horrified. She hoped and prayed that Lottie got away and watched silently as Lottie had almost made it before he had exited the room he had entered. In his hand was a hatchet, and immediately my eye's widened.

"No!" I let out an audible cry as he walked briskly and stopped behind the blonde, who peered behind her and started to cry loudly.

"Please, no!" She sobbed out, stopping as she stared up at the male with her wide blue eyes. "I promise I'll love you, do whatever you want. Please don't hurt me."

I quickly tried to wrestle away the hatchet from his hands but knew it was useless, I couldn't even get my hands on him. 

"You're a goddamn liar! You could never love someone like me! You rich pig!" He exclaimed, rage obvious in his face. The Shadow Man's voice sent chills down my spine. Lottie continued to sob as he pushed her down onto her back with his foot. He stood above the blonde as he watched with rage. His hands tightened their grip around the hatchet before finally raising it above his head and letting it down in a swift motion. What I heard next made me shiver and gag. The thick sound of metal slicing through my friend's flesh as well as Lottie's screams filled the air and made me cry out, I fell back to my knees and covered my eyes as Facilier cut into my friend and tore her apart. This continued on for a few minutes before the loud nose of the hatchet being dropped ended all the screaming. Facilier was breathing heavily as he looked down at the horrible mess he had made and quickly turned on his heel in an irrational way and headed back to the room in which he had gotten the hatchet from. Afraid to look at the remains of my friend, I quickly turned away and got up, letting out a sob of pain as I held onto my chest. I was hurting, why had this happened to Lottie? Of all people... Why did he have to love her? A sudden noise was heard and I instantly snapped my eyes open. I shook as I peered at the door, afraid of what was happening on the other side. Quietly, and hesitantly, I made my way over to the door and pushed it open slowly.

On the other side there was a bedroom. It was small and only contained a mattress and a dresser in which one drawer was askew. On the floor laid Facilier, blood pouring from his head. He had a pistol in one hand and a piece of paper folded up, in the other. I reached over, holding my breath as I took the note from the dead man's hand. I felt sick as I read the six sickening words on the page.

_**I just wanted to be loved.**_

I felt nauseous and quickly I fell down onto the floor beside the man who took away my friend's virtue, her innocence and her life. He had ended it, and not only that he had ended his own. I couldn't help but close my eyes and let out another horrified cry.

When I came too, I was alone. I was in the middle of the parlor, the table sat behind me as I gathered myself up from the floor. I looked around sleepily. It was dusty, as if it hadn't been touched in a long time... I felt confused, my head pounded as I got up from the floor. I felt weak and my eye's dimmed. There was nothing left... Facilier wasn't there like he had been earlier, he was gone... I looked down at my hand and realized I still was holding the note... Immediately I clenched it between my fingers and crushed it.

I exited the little shop which had been closed down since the day the two bodies were found in it. I passed by the people on the street, who all stopped and looked at me before continuing on with their day. I made it back home, Naveen had been waiting for me and was a bit skeptical when he saw my dress was now covered in dust.

"Where have you been?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he greeted me at the door. I smiled faintly. "Living in the past."

That night Naveen treated me wonderfully, and what I didn't know was that Naveen had read that morning's paper.

**Ten Year Anniversary Of The Shadow Man Slaying**_**  
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_Yes! That is right! It was all a hallucination! Now before you ask the question about how their was rumors that Charlotte with the Shadow Man that was just to insinuate the fact that people keep the dead alive with rumors. Please review and favorite if you enjoyed it. :D_


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